Street-network Sprawl in Hoshangabad, India

What is Street-network sprawl?

Street-network Sprawl is a way to measure urban sprawl, worldwide, through the connectedness of the streets. Less sprawl means more connected, more walkable streets. Well-connected streets – like New York City’s grid – are more walkable and can be served by public transit.

The street network is permanent, and its connectivity affects the livability and environmental footprint of cities for decades and centuries to come. In places with more connected streets, residents drive less and walk more. A well-connected street network is associated with better outcomes for health, the environment, sustainable consumption, social integration, and equity.

We can quantify how connected street networks are with the Street Network Disconnectedness Index (SNDi).

SNDi -- our measure of street-network sprawl (disconnectedness)

The SNDi is a comprehensive measurement of “sprawl”. It captures:

A higher SNDi means less-connected streets – i.e., more sprawl. For the 10137 cities in our dataset, the average SNDi is 2.25, with half of the cities' SNDis falling between 1.08 and 3.25.

More information on the sprawl index can be found in these research papers:

To see the state of street-network sprawl across the globe, visit the sprawlmap.

Hoshangabad: city in Madhya Pradesh, India

What exactly constitutes the spatial extent of the city? For these aggregations, we used the Global Human Settlement Layer Urban Center Database (GHS-UCDB) to define the boundaries of the city. These cities -- or urban centers -- cover areas that are densely populated and built-up, and so may extend beyond the spatial borders of these cities that we may be familiar with. The GHS area is shaded in blue.

View Hoshangabad, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Hoshangabad as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.08, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.12, 2.14, 3.22 and 3.32. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Hoshangabad fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Hoshangabad spans a total of 87 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.12, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Effect on the aggregate network: New construction in each period adds to the total stock of streets, but does not change streets that have already been built. Therefore, it has a limited effect on the street network as a whole. The SNDis of the aggregate street network in the respective time periods are 3.12, 2.97, 3.0 and 3.08. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Hoshangabad has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Hoshangabad and Madhya Pradesh follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Hoshangabad fare in comparison to others in Madhya Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Hoshangabad was the 43rd-most disconnected out of the 97 cities in Madhya Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Madhya Pradesh, street construction in Hoshangabad has become more connected. Hoshangabad ranked 13th in 1975, 30th in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 43rd in 2001-2014.

Hoshangabad and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Hoshangabad was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Hoshangabad fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Hoshangabad was the 607th-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in India, street construction in Hoshangabad has become more connected. Hoshangabad ranked 284th in 1975, 684th in 1976-1990, 493rd in 1991-2000 and 607th in 2001-2014.

Hoshangabad and Madhya Pradesh follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Hoshangabad is the 44th-most disconnected out of the 97 cities in Madhya Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Madhya Pradesh, the street network in Hoshangabad has become more connected. Hoshangabad ranked 13th in 1975, 22nd in 1976-1990, 26th in 1991-2000 and 44th in 2001-2014.

Hoshangabad and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Hoshangabad was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Hoshangabad is the 616th-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in India, the street network in Hoshangabad has become more connected. Hoshangabad ranked 284th in 1975, 452nd in 1976-1990, 531st in 1991-2000 and 616th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Hoshangabad had a built-up area of 4.13 square kilometers, and a population of 156161 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: